For more than 30 years, Virginia has banned mining of uranium. Now, the owner of a large uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County has filed suit, hoping to overturn that law. Virginia Uranium, Inc. has tried for years to persuade the legislature that it can safely mine a large deposit of the radioactive ore. The company has given nearly $370,000 to legislative campaigns since 2008, but when Governor Terry McAuliffe said he would veto any attempt to lift the ban on mining, Virginia Uranium filed suit in U.S. District Court. Attorney Michael Kirk says federal law trumps state legislation. “The Federal Atomic Energy Act vests exclusive regulatory jurisdiction over radiological safety issues with the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.” Environmental groups say the feds regulate processing of uranium, but states control mining. Jacob Powell, director of the Virginia Conservation Network, notes that there are uranium operations in places with limited rainfall -- Utah, Wyoming and Texas –
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